Which Method Works Best for You?
Look, the whole "magic books versus magic videos" debate has been going since the 1980s, when the first magic VHS tapes started showing up. And honestly, it's still going. You'll find people who swear by books, and others who won't touch anything that isn't on video. But here's the real point: it's not about which one is "better." It's about understanding what each format actually does for you, then figuring out which one fits where you're at right now.
What Books Actually Give You
When you sit down with a magic book, you're doing something fundamentally different from just watching a video. You're reading the instructions in your own head, at your own pace, and building the picture of the move from words and illustrations. That gap—between what's written on the page and what you imagine in your hands—is where a lot of the real learning happens.
Books force you to think. You can't just sit back and absorb stuff passively. You have to engage with it, work it out, and picture it in your mind. When you learn the double lift from a book, you're not copying some exact hand motion; you're figuring out how you should do it. That process can feel slow or frustrating, but it's what tends to build a deeper understanding over time.
There's also the creativity side. When people like Ben Earl and Jamy Swiss talk about this, they point out that books leave space for your imagination to fill in the gaps. Two people learning the same trick from the same book will often end up with slightly different approaches, different presentations, and different styles. But two people learning from the same video? They often perform it almost identically—same jokes, same timing, sometimes even similar phrasing or delivery. As Swiss puts it pretty bluntly: "books = education, but videos = imitation."
Books are also great as reference material. You can flip back to a specific page, re-read a paragraph, highlight sections, or scribble notes in the margin. A good magic book sits on your shelf and becomes something you come back to over the years, noticing new details each time. They're also ridiculously good value—one book might give you 50 tricks for the price of a single-trick DVD.
And there's a smaller, practical thing a lot of people don't think about: when you're reading a book, it looks like you're working. People tend to leave you alone. If you're watching a video on the sofa, it looks like you're just relaxing, so you get interrupted more often. That tiny difference can actually make a noticeable impact on how much you get done.
Where Videos Actually Help
Videos have their place, and it's a fairly important one. If you're learning sleight-of-hand for the first time, seeing exactly how the fingers move is incredibly helpful. Reading a description of the classic palm is one thing; watching someone demonstrate it from multiple angles, in good lighting, is something else. Videos give you a clear visual confirmation that yes, it can be done, and roughly what it should look like when you get it right.
They're also fast. If you need to learn a trick in a hurry—maybe for a party tomorrow night—a well-produced video can get you there faster than a book can. You can pause, rewind, or slow it down, and that's genuinely useful for certain moves.
The problem shows up when videos become your only source of learning. When that happens, you tend to end up with a surface-level understanding: you see the mechanics, you copy the moves, but you don't always understand why it works or how to adapt it to different conditions. Books, because they're slower and demand more effort, are usually what give you that deeper, more flexible foundation.
The Cloning Problem
There's another risk worth mentioning. When you learn almost exclusively from videos—especially modern online tutorials—it's easy to end up with someone else's style, not your own. You pick up the method, yes, but you also absorb the entire presentation: the patter, the gestures, the timing, even some of the personality. If you're not careful, you can find yourself performing someone else's act instead of developing your own.
You can see this at magic conventions and open-mic nights: different performers doing the same routine, with the same lines, in the same style. It's not always intentional copying; often, it's just that the video gave them such a complete package that they never thought to change anything.
Books don't really do that. They give you the skeleton—the method, the structure—but you have to add the flesh. That forces you to think about presentation, about how you would deliver the trick, and about what fits your style and audience. It's messier, but it's also where your own voice starts to show up.
So Which One Should You Use?
Both, honestly. They're complementary, not competing formats.
If you're brand new to magic, starting with some videos makes sense. Use them to get a feel for what sleight-of-hand looks like, to see the moves in motion, and to build a bit of confidence. But don't stop there. Pick up a book—something like Royal Road to Card Magic or Card College Light—and work through it properly. You'll notice the difference right away: you'll start to understand why certain moves work, not just how to do them.
Once you've got a foundation, use videos for specific purposes: learning difficult sleights where you need to see the angles, watching performances to get ideas about pacing and timing, or picking up new tricks and then adapting them to your own style.
But keep reading books. They're where the depth lives. They're where you'll find the forgotten gems that most people have skipped, and they're what will help you develop your own voice as a performer rather than just being a tribute act for whoever's trending on YouTube or Instagram right now.
The Practical Reality
The honest truth is that most working magicians use both. They'll watch a video to get the basic idea, then read the book (if there is one) to understand the nuances. Or they'll read the book first, then look for video footage to see how different performers have approached the same material.
The danger is leaning too heavily on one or the other. If you only watch videos, you'll learn quickly but shallowly, and you'll struggle to make the material your own. If you only read books, you might miss out on seeing what good performance actually looks like, especially when you're starting out.
Balance is the key. Use videos when you need visual confirmation. Use books when you want to actually understand something. And always, always, practice with real props in your hands rather than just consuming content. Because neither books nor videos will make you a good magician—only practice and performance will do that.
In the end, the best learning resource isn't a book or a video. It's the combination of reading, watching, practicing, and, most importantly, performing for real people and learning from their reactions. Everything else is just preparation for that.
If you fancy browsing some of the magic books we've got, feel free to have a look at monstermagic.co.uk. No pressure though—just thought I'd mention it.